Part 2 Follow Kerry Bennett step by step as she paints three ostriches from three photographs – and discusses three different background techniques

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

■ How to prepare for a painting, using masking fluid and wet-in-wet background

■ Practise wet-in-wet, wet-on-dry and dry-brush techniques

Having covered the preparation of an outline (bottom right) in part one last month from three photographs (below right) we have one more step to make before we begin painting. To protect the pencil lines from the paint temporarily, masking fluid needs to be applied to the outline of each ostrich. I did this using a blending tool with a silicone tip, but you can also use a brush or cotton bud to produce a thick outline. Mask the ostriches out completely if you wish; this will allow you to be freer when applying the wet-inwet background.

I then used a ruling pen (or you can use any object with a point) to flick the line of masking fluid whilst it was still wet, in preparation for the fluffy white feathers that will catch the light around the edges of the ostriches. In this way you will be able to complete the background first, using a lot of water and paint to achieve a nicely blended wet-into-wet effect.

Ostriches II, watercolour, 12x8½in. (30x22cm). For this painting I used Round brushes Nos. 10, 4 and 1, and a very liquid, wet-in-wet approach.

The three photographs introduced in last month’s issue (thanks to www.pixabay.com)

The finished drawing

MASKING FLUID TIP

If using a brush, dip it in washing up liquid first (or a soap bar with a wet brush), pat the excess off then dip straight into the masking fluid. This will keep your brush usable for the next time, but still make sure you use an old brush.

Wet-in-wet backgrounds

For the following demonstration painting I used a simple technique to paint the background; you will find this method described in Step 1. Before I completed the painting, I also experimented with different background colours, which you can see in Ostriches I (right). Here I used Payne’s grey mixed with olive green and a touch of green gold, followed by burnt sienna, yellow ochre and ultramarine, and a touch of cerulean blue at the top. I began by masking the ostriches, using the ruling pen for the feathers around the edges, giving them a little flick to achieve fine lines and pointed tips. I also flicked a few drops of fluid here and there to create interest in the background.